Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Janis
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Asher Zeiger
I confess that I had never heard of this movie, and it just happened to be starting when I was channel surfing. I decided to stay with it, and am really glad that I did - this is one of the nicest, best-thought out movies that I have seen in a very long time. The performances were all excellent, the characters were very real and believable, and story was absolutely riveting.It's not just the 14-year-old protagonist who "comes of age," but all of the positive characters really show development and growth in this movie.
Tori Douville
Duncan (Liam James) is a 14-year-old boy who doesn't have many ambitions in life. His story is a basic coming of age story about a young, shy boy that doesn't quite know where he fits in the world. He is forced to go on vacation with his mom Pam (Toni Collette), her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). Duncan doesn't like Trent because he spends a lot of his time making him miserable with his condescending remarks and actions. This only leads Duncan to search for a way out of Trent's beach house. Duncan finds a little girl's pink bike in the garage and he takes off to explore. He rides through the town as happy as we have seen him throughout the entire movie. He ends up stumbling upon the Water Wizz where his life is about to change. He befriends Owen (Sam Rockwell) and he learns how to have confidence in himself and what it's like to have someone take him under their wing. He becomes friends with the entire staff and all the patrons of the park. Meanwhile, Duncan is also building a relationship with the girl next door, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb) who under normal circumstances, he would be too shy to talk too. The directors, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, did a fantastic job of working with Duncan to make him seem as awkward as they could. They really had to sell that point in order to make the theme of this movie work. His posture, the way he carries himself, and even his tone of voice makes him look and sound inferior to others. I also enjoyed the sound effects of this movie, such as the off-screen sounds and the music. The music was always correlated to the tempo of the story. If Duncan was upset because of Trent, they played sad, slow music. When he was riding the bike through town or at the water park the music was faster/ more upbeat so we would feel happy with him. When Duncan is first exploring the town, he stops at a local pizza parlor and as soon as he walks in we can hear the sounds of a Pac-Man game in the background. The game is being played by Owen at the other end of the restaurant. The game draws Duncan in and starts a conversation between the two of them, which will eventually be the beginning of their friendship. This movie does a wonderful job of portraying what is it like to be a young boy and the obstacles he has to overcome as he ages. It depicts normal problems that lots of children have to deal with, just like the movie Sixteen Candles. Samantha is trying to figure out where she fits in her world as well. To make matters worse, her entire family forgets her 16th birthday because of her sister's wedding, but she does get her a wonderful surprise at the end of the movie. She gets her birthday kiss from the boy she has a crush on, Jake. Duncan doesn't like his mother's boyfriend, but because of Trent's beach house, he has the best summer of his life. Duncan also gets his kiss from Susanna at the end of the movie, as well. After all is said and done with, Duncan is able to overcome his shyness and see his true worth. He may not know exactly where he fits in, but he is in a much better place than he was at the beginning of the movie.
gamergcfan
Okay, so if you don't mind a very slow-paced story, you might be able to tolerate this movie a bit more. However, there was not that engagement value, for the consistent jokes were only slightly funny.Also, the story is not that great due to the inconsistent plot. I do like the characters, but the chemistry between them is lacklustre.Pros:Good charactersCons:Story is silly at timesNot that enjoyable4
mgulev
I rarely give out 10s, but this movie truly deserves it.The script and dialogue is believable and very well executed. All the actors played their parts to perfection. Who would've guessed that Steve Carrel could play such a douche? Toni Colette is great as the insecure mom who loves her son, but is torn between him and "Trent". (Toni has a knack for these roles requiring depth - see "Muriels Wedding") Sam Rockwell is perfect as the not-yet completely grown-up mentor.The plot and pacing is just perfect. This gives the movie a feeling of believability, while being funny and captivating. There are no unnecessary jokes or violence. No silly special effects. And Owens "Don't follow a pattern on my quarter. You pave your own way" is what it's all about.This hit a home-run with me. 10/10
